Shloka 8
Śikhaṇḍī-janma-nigūḍha-vṛtta (The concealed birth-account of Śikhaṇḍī) | शिखण्डी-जन्म-निगूढ-वृत्त
बद्ध्वा पज्चालराजानमानयिष्यामहे गृहम् । अन्यं राजानमाधाय पज्चालेषु नरेश्वरम्
baddhvā pāñcālarājānam ānayiṣyāmahe gṛham | anyaṃ rājānam ādhāya pāñcāleṣu nareśvaram ||
Bhīṣma said: “We shall seize the king of the Pāñcālas and bring him captive to our own home. Then, O lord of men, installing another king over the Pāñcālas, we shall remove Drupada along with Śikhaṇḍī.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political expediency and vengeance can drive plans that violate ethical restraint: capturing a king, replacing him, and seeking the death of perceived offenders. It invites reflection on rājadharma—whether power can be pursued without injustice, and how suspicion and retaliation escalate toward war.
Bhīṣma reports a hardline resolve: to capture the Pāñcāla king (Drupada), bring him as a prisoner, install a different ruler in Pāñcāla, and eliminate Drupada together with Śikhaṇḍī. In the surrounding context (as reflected in the Gītā Press Hindi), this is tied to the claim that Śikhaṇḍī is not truly male, used as a pretext for punitive action.